Today is Fatherhood Friday, over at DAD-BLOGS. You've heard it before. I have repeated my "head on over" mantra many many times now...uh, this would be the 31st to be exact. WOW, 31? Amazing how time just blogs on by...!

"THEY" are attempting a new venue for Fridays: "Themes" Not required themes, mind you...or at least I don't think they are...and I think it is only a test...but then again, not sure there either. Hmmm.

Get it? Glad you do...cuz not sure I do. Every Friday now, we are to post to our blogs, based on themes thunk up by our DAD-BLOG friends. Or foe? Dunno. What I do know is this: I like going to my friends' blogs, seeing what they wrote this week, or that week. Peeking into their lives. The different subjects, cool vids and photo's, opinions, funny and not. Lazy and athletic...sports or ballet slippers...the one cool thing is that we are all Dads (and a few Moms too). We share who we are...our happenings, our thoughts!

Not sure I like following someone else's lead for posting to my blog. To be honest, I hate it...I have even drawn posting blanks these past three weeks...cuz I just couldn't think of things to write about...that follow the theme.... hell...any theme. Don't get me wrong, I can usually find some fun, goofy, silly, smart thing Bella has done to write about...and I LOVE my time with DAD-BLOGS...but this theme things really seems to have kicked me in the butt...affected me in ways I hadn't known before...writers block? Maybe? Then again, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a prolific writer...hell, my grammars all the worse for the wear around these parts anyway.

I am certain I could have written to, or about, on DAD-BLOGS...my thoughts, my blank-out problems, and concerns. And they would have been greeted with compassion and concern...truly. There are some amazing people over at DAD-BLOGS...lots of respect, debate's...and major cool information to absorb...however, I instead, chose to write about it here...

Many of you may have noticed recently that I'd "re-posted" a few times...and, I have noticed that the comments on my blog have lessened these last few weeks. Not gonna blame anyone for that, or point fingers...instead offering up my my Apologies for that. I take full responsibility for being a doof... It does seem odd though...being the "non-rebel" I was in school. Tell me to do something, I would do it...I may not have been happy about it, but it would have gotten done. Now? Hell, tell me to do something, however worthwhile, away from my norm...and I am gonna rebel...or as is the case here...I go blank! DUH!

Let me know what you think now...are you into the themes, or prefer that I, and others, write on our blogs as we see fit?

Fit? Naw, gotta lose another stone or two. I could have written about it this week...but hell...I was blank...

OOPSIE! Or, As Bella would Say..."SOWWEE DADDY, IS ALL MY FAULTS!"

P.S. Hello DAD-BLOGS...I hope I have more than made up for it , by linking you throughout this post ;-)

Since our little one is not of school age, I thought, how could I think of a post for back to school. Other than my own memories of my years yawning in class...or being rebellious...or thinking I knew it all, when I didn't...but, I did...sort of.

We have two dogs, Italian Greyhounds; Scuzi (means excuse in Italian), and Spago (A single strand of spaghetti, also Italian). They are both getting up there in years, Scuzi being 10 and Spago going on 15 now. Scuzi is still puppy like and oh so stubborn the Alpha Male, while Spago is the passive one, (and has been since I became their step-father almost 8 years ago), quite loving.

SCUZI

SPAGO

Spago is old. No way around it. He is overweight, almost completely deaf, and his eyes are chalk full of cataracts...but he remains, the dedicated, sweet old man.

So, back to school?

I have found, that since Spago is now deaf, he needs additional attention. Teaching in fact. You know the old saying "Cant teach an old dog new tricks"...well..I think you can! You may not see the exact results you would expect raising and teaching a child, but, the signs are there. Speaking of signs, this is where the teaching comes in.

Since he is about 95% deaf, I can no longer yell at him when he trips me by wiggling through my legs, under my feet. Oh, I still yell, but obviously he doesn't hear me...so...I have to use sign language. My own version, thank you very much:

When tripping me: Wave the hands frantically, scaring him into moving.

Dinner Time: Cup the hands, flicking the fingers up, (directly in his face) to summon him to the dinner bowl.

Running Towards Me in a Delirious State (We call it DELIRIUM):Sticking my right foot, up in the air, signaling that if he continues to come forward, he will smack my foot. Has happened a few times and no, I do not kick him.

Potty Time(we actually call it "Peeps and Poops", but he cant hear it anymore - remember?):Waving the arms and hands wildly, towards the open door, leading out to the yard.

When Following me Relentlessly Around The House:I stop abruptly, turn around, stomp, yell loudly, wave my arms and legs in frustration. (OK OK, not the best use of sign language, but I sure feel better afterwards...and he "gets it"...temporally).

And my personal favorite:

Daddy needs some love:Down on my knees, open arms as if to embrace, and fingers flicking....(He loves this as he crawls into my lap and I scratch his back... - I swear I have heard him purr).

Patience is the key. I may not have as much as I used to, being a stay at home dad, having a toddler and two dogs, but I try my best...gonna try and make these last years for our dogs some of the best!

I guess life is all about learning...from the day we are born, humans and animals alike, till the day we are gone.

Bella loves music, as is evident in her taste in entertainment: Lady GaGa, Jackson 5, Kelly Clarkson, NTUIT, Pussycat Dolls, and anything ELMO....she requests certian songs in the car to be replayed...over and over and over and over again.

So, recently, we had a little fun. It was later in the evening, thus the unkempt hair LOL...but hey, what rockstar these days, or in days past, had coiffed hair? HA!

Her little friend in the video is a parrot toy we purchased when she was one. Back then, she was entertained by it for oh so little a time...and he was banished to a dark corner in the house...for two years!

Recently, going through her toys, donating away, we found Polly! and now? well now, she is completely enamored with this guy...or girl...we haven't decided yet...

She talks to the bird, named "Bella Birdie", cuddles, dances and converses as though he/she were real., The bird has a wide range of fun comments, gags and such...we can make him/her say anything we want, at any time....but no...we didn't for this video...this is all Bella Birdie talking...

Not sure where Bella gets her musical talents, but she loves to rock out. We play music in the car, on the DVR and in her Drama Room and she swings and sways, bops her head up and down, and "shakes her groove thing"...just like her favorites...

Apologies to anyone and everyone, who may have been seeking a new, exciting, refreshing post here today....To be honest, frank and downright lazy...I just haven't felt like blogging much these past few weeks. But my pals over at dad-blogs.com do...so ,please, flit on over and enjoy those that have the energy this week: COOL_DAD_AND_MOM_BLOGGERS_HERE!

In the meantime, please enjoy this "original"..."revealing"..."on the edge of your seat"...lazy-ass BellaDaddy Prior Post!

SHEESH! How the hell are you supposed to enjoy playing with your kid and their new toys when it takes FOREVER to get the damn things unwrapped. Unwrapped, un-wound, un-taped...un-bound...un-everything'd.

The manufacturer makes sure more than half the battle is getting the toy out of the box, out of the wrappers, out of the Chinese finger torture ties...AAARRGH! Cant even begin to tell you how many times I have had my fingers poked, scratched and down right harassed by these "safety measures!" MADDENING at best!

My opinion: The person who invented shrink wrapping and twisty ties for toys should be made to spend a week, alone in a room, with nothing but FOOD, wrapped in all these devices...see how long they last! Can we say STARVE???

Once unwrapped, (and I did the dumbest thing, attempted to assemble while Bella was there...getting into every piece, carting them away, etc...) My Bad!...anyway, once unwrapped, I realized...NO BATTERIES! AAARGH!

Again my bad, for not reading that they were not included....so, there she is, ready to play...and gets bored after a few moments...why? NO BATTERIES!I looked everywhere for C batteries. Even taking every toy in existence in this house, unscrewing the battery compartments (another safety measure that sucks) and looking in flashlights, appliances, mp3 players...All of it...to no avail...so, she plays for a few moments then throws her little arms in the air in frustration, and walks away....I hope when I get batteries later today, she decides she likes it...!

SHEESH, I wish my batteries could be replaced...I am pooped...and all scratched up!